Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is the term used to describe the concept of sustainable development at company level. The European Commission’s definition of CSR is: “A concept whereby companies integrate social and environmental concerns in their business operations and in their interaction with their stakeholders on a voluntary basis.”

It was in 1999, on the initiative of the UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, that the first attempt was made to involve companies in corporate social responsibility approaches: the Global Compact. Launched in 2000, this Global Compact invited large businesses to join together with civil society and UN bodies in order to support nine principles in the areas of the environment, human rights and labour rights. A tenth principle concerning anti-corruption was added in 2004.

Among the different topics covered by CSR, a company can act on the following key issues:

- Encouraging innovation and a corporate spirit in the sustainable technologies, products and services that meet society’s needs

- Helping companies to include social and environmental considerations in their commercial operations, particularly in the supply chain

- Improving and developing employability skills

- Responding better to the diversity and the challenge of equal opportunities taking demographic change into account

- Improving working conditions, also in cooperation with the supply chain

- Breaking new ground in the area of the environment by awarding special importance to the integration of eco-efficiency and energy-saving measures in the process of manufacturing products and services

- Developing a dynamic dialogue and commitment with all stakeholders

- Meeting the challenge of transparency and communication so that the non-financial success of companies and organizations is better integrated with their financial success and more inclusive of all stakeholders.